Need Help Choosing A Lens For My 5D...Low Light Sports Job

[helen_horsley1]

I have a Canon 5D and 2 lenses, the 28-105 F4, the 70-210 F2.8. I have the Canon 1.4 extender. My

lenses have image stabilization. I shoot portraits, landscapes and an occasional interior. I have a client

who I have shot a variety of outdoor sports for. It's turning into a long term relationship, and I am loving

shooting sports! They now want me to shoot indoor basketball, swimming, track and squash. I have shot

volleyball in the location where they play basketball, using the 28-105 and shooting at 5.6. I usually have

to increase the exposure in Photoshop, but I get a sharp image. If it's dark outside, I am usually shooting

at the max ISO, which gives me grainy images. If there is good outdoor light, I can shoot at 1600. I think

I am fine for the basketball shots, as they are on the same court as volleyball. Bottom line, if I were to try

a lens that was not a zoom ( is this called a prime?) what focal length would ya'll recommend? Should I try

a 1.4 or a 2.8? I am more used to hand holding than using a monopod. I do not think my present

equipment will work in these high school facilities. The light's too low. The job's in January, and I want

to figure out what to rent. If I like it, it might be my 3rd lens. Many thanks to all who take time to

respond!

 

Helen Horsley

[fotografir]

I am not familiar with Canon cameras( I use Nikon) but I also shoot a lot of indoor-poor lighting-fast action sports photography. I have and occasionally still use my 70-200mm 2.8 but have grown extremely fond of a new lense I bought for portraits. I have lately used a 85mm 1.4 and now shoot in manual mode/1.4 Aperture/320sec shutter and ISO 400. I am getting overall great stop action shots and I am still experimenting with other settings. Only drawback I have encountered is being a fixed focal length youhave to posisiton yourself carefully to get full frame action shots. Closeups are a breeze. Also watch out for the focus point where just inches back start to loose crispness. Best of luck and keep trying new things.

Chuck aka fotografir<div></div>

[zackojones]

Helen: Non-zoom lenses are called primes. Since you're shooting with a 5D I would recommend the 85mm f/1.8 lens or possibly the 135mm f/2 as lenses to consider. Go with the fastest lens you can (lowest f number) which may allow you to shoot with a lower ISO than 1600.

 

When I shoot basketball I use a 50mm 1.4 lens on my 40D

[Hector Javkin]

From the sports you have already been shooting with zoom lenses, you should know, or be able to find out from the exif data on your image files, what focal lengths you have been using that have given you the best results.

 

If something in the range of 85mm suits you, you could try the 85mm f/1.8, as suggested above, or even the 85mm f/1.2. Consider weight as well as lens aperture. A friend's 5D with the 85mm f/1.2 seemed heavy for long-term hand-holding, but it may not bother you since you've been using the even heavier 70-200 f/2.8.

 

Incidentally, the lenses I mentioned don't have image stabilization, but it may not matter. If you have to use a sufficiently high shutter speed for the action on the court, image stabilization doesn't help.

[helen_horsley1]

Chuck, that's a fun shot. Thank for posting, and to both of you for replying. Zack, I

appreciate the specific lens recommendations. It has been a long time since I shot with a

prime. Would the 85mmf/1.8 and the 135mmf/2 weigh about the same and be equally

good for hand held shooting? If you had to pick one focal length to shoot the sports I

described, which would it be? Wouldn't the 135mm be more limiting? I feel like you can

always crop into a good sharp image to get a closer view. They will want full body (diving

is the one I am most interested to tackle) shots as well as faces only. I would also be

interested if anyone can tell me how to reduce grain in Photoshop. I have CS2 and tried

"less noise" and "despeckle" today. Didn't see a whole lot of difference between the two

commands.

 

Happy Friday!

[sattler123]

Get NoiseNinja from Picturecode for noise reduction. BTW you shouldn't have too many problems with noise with your 5D - it is the noise king among the Canon cameras. Just make sure that you always expose to the right (the right of your histogram) and if at all possible shoot RAW. The shots might look over exposed straight out of the camera, but you can tone them down with the RAW converter and it guarantees you the least amount of noise - it really works great.

 

I would think that for diving pictures you would need a longer lens than the 85. The other option is to get a 40D, which will give your lenses more reach - that way you'd have a 85mm x 1.6 = 135mm f/1.8 lens - hard to beat!

[chriscoscia]

I agree with recommendations above. BTW I always prefer to shoot under ISO 800, no

matter how "good" the noise control in the camera is, it's still noticeable in dark areas

when you print 8x10 or larger. Shooting lower ISO requires faster lens (lower f number)

of course.

 

Cropping is also going to degrade the pics.

 

So the key is a fast lens, f2 or lower for under 200mm. If you shoot other sports where

you are farther, a 300mm f2.8 with a 1.4 tc will work nicely but the tc reduces your

speed.

 

One nice thing about the 50mm is you can get them cheap, even at f1.4, if you are close

enough.

[helen_horsley1]

Hello Juergen and Chris. Juergen, I always shoot in Raw. Thanks for the good tip about

NoiseNinja. Will check that out. If I get an 85mm 1.8 and use it with my 1.4 extender, I

will lose a stop and get 2.8 for the highest F stop, right? If I shoot with an 85mm F1.2

with a 1.4 extender, I'll get F1.8? What will the focal length be with the extender? (Math

is not my strength...) I love my 5D and don't want to invest in another camera yet. Would

rather invest in another lens. Chris, I "test drove" the 300mm f2.8, last year when I

started shooting outdoor sports. It's a beautiful lens that works like a dream and I felt like

a Sports Illustrated photographer, which was so very cool! But that lens is cumbersome. I

disliked the monopod and the weight. That's why I went with the zoom and extender.

Ya'll are very helpful. Maybe I'll get a 50mm 1.4 if they are so reasonable (I'm thinking

this is the one for squash) and rent a second for the other sports.

[bob_osullivan]

I would definately go for the 85 1.8. If you can afford it, the 135 F2, and might as well through in the innexpensive 50 1.8.

[jim_simon6]

Helen,

Your 1.4 extender will not work with either 85, it will work with the 135/2. Perhaps you could do some test shots with your existing lenses to see which focal lengths work best for you.

 

The 135 is supposed to be a gem of a lens - wonderful resolution, great contrast, fast AF - even at f2.

 

The 85/1.8 is definitely one of the best buys in a Canon prime - fast AF, sharp, and cheap - not quite as spectacular as the 135, but damn good!

 

The 85/1.2, while capable of delivering beautiful portraits with wonderful creamy backgrounds, simply doesn't AF that fast - there's a lot of glass to move! Well suited for studio portraits or weddings, but most seem to feel that it's AF is too slow for sports.

 

Of the 3, I only own the 85/1.8, and can definitely recommend it, but you need to determine if ti's the right lens for your situation.

 

Good luck!

Jim

[helen_horsley1]

Thank you all. I appreciate all of your feedback!